Missouri area lawmakers have started to weigh in on President Barack Obama’s decision to seek congressional approval for U.S. military action in Syria.

Rep. Billy Long, R-Springfield, said he looks forward to a debate in Congress about this issue but did not say how he would vote on any legislation approving a U.S. strike on Syria.

“I am glad that the president is following his constitutional duties and is consulting with Congress before committing our military resources against the Assad regime in Syria,” Long said. “I will vote for what I believe will protect lives in Syria and be in the best interest of the United States and world order.”

Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., said it Obama is making the right move but said the president should have sought a congressional vote on this issue earlier.

“After weeks of claiming he could and would make this decision on his own, the president’s announcement today marks an astonishing change of course,” Blunt said in a statement Saturday. “While congressional approval is the best course of action and the right thing to do, it would have been the right course of action months ago.”